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Adventures with Coffee Jelly

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I’m going to let y’all in on a secret. I love coffee . Okay, so it’s probably not THAT big of a secret, but I have seemingly developed what is probably an unhealthy obsession with coffee.  And I’m not particularly picky when it comes to type, either.  I love iced coffee, regular freshly brewed hot coffee, cold brews, lattes, flavored coffee... Told you it was an obsession. And this has been a great week for coffee lovers, what with National Coffee Day on September 29th, and International Coffee Day, which is today! While I did celebrate both days by enjoying my favorites, today I wanted to share a new coffee confection I recently experimented with.  Awhile back, I saw a video posted by some YouTubers in Japan about coffee jelly.  Apparently it is (or was, since this was some time back) a big thing overseas, and when I first saw the video and recipe, I was intrigued.  I thought I might try making it ‘one day’.   Fast forward a bit to more recently, and my finally getting around to watc
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The "Big Weight Loss Secret"

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Since January of 2018, I have lost a little over 70lbs.  I probably would have lost a lot more by now, if I did not have a serious addiction to sweets, tacos and french fries.  And I’d probably lose more if I actually exercised more regularly, too, but that’s not the point of this post.  Actually that will probably come up in a later post, but I digress.  Back to the main topic.  Obviously, due to my weight loss, people have noticed a difference in my appearance, and have asked a lot of questions regarding my self-improvement journey.  One question has come up repeatedly, and it’s one I felt warranted a more in-depth discourse here.  “What’s your secret??” Let me address right away that there is no ‘big secret’ to weight loss.  There is no magic pill, no ultimate diet plan, or a dummy proof guide.  My ‘secret’ (if you can call it that, even) is fairly simple.  You have to want it, and you have to find what works for you .  Then, you have to stick with it.  Motivation, a plan, and commi
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Abomination Cookies

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How's quarantine and/or social distancing going, friends?  I've been spending more time at home, which has been good for my bank account (except for that whole online shopping thing).  I've spent them majority of my time reading, crocheting, catching up on my extensive Netflix list, and spending inordinate amounts of time on my Animal Crossing island.  That game is seriously addicting. One other thing I've done during my time at home is to make what my family has dubbed 'abomination cookies'.  These are essentially two/three ingredient cookies, with one of the ingredients being bananas, which my younger brother hates , hence the moniker 'abomination cookies', since he often refers to bananas as abominations.   However, these cookies are delicious  and I've made probably six batches of them so far.  We had a couple bananas that were overripe, and so I typed "what to do with overripe bananas" into Google, and this recipe  came up.   It consis
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A Testament of Steel - an Advance Review

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I have read several books by Davis Ashura (as evidenced by prior reviews!), and am beyond pleased to post an advance review for an upcoming release, A Testament of Steel , which is currently available for pre-order. In the efforts of full disclosure :  I was sent an ARC (advanced reader copy) of this book in exchange for an honest review.  I am also going to attempt to make this review as spoiler free as I can, but it’s going to be tough.  But I’ll do my best.   As I’ve read many of Mr. Ashura’s works so far, I went into this one expecting much of the same.  While Ashura’s books are incredible in terms of world building and developing engaging stories and characters you become truly invested in, my one small complaint is that sometimes his works are a ‘slow burn’.  While he pulls this off well (as I’ve said in previous reviews), it does make it a bit harder in the beginning to keep focus.   This book, however, was NOTHING like that.  From the start, and I mean literally
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My Quest to become a Polyglot

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I am fascinated by language.  I'm not really sure if I can articulate why, truthfully, but it's been that way for as long as I can remember.  I've been a 'word nerd' since my elementary school days, and have always enjoyed utilizing unique vocabulary into my everyday speech (much to the chagrin of others, I am sure!). Despite my fascination with languages, I never undertook the task of attempting to learn a second language.  I dabbled, at best, using apps like Duolingo and such, but never went further than simply learning a few basic words and phrases. Then, several years ago, my friend (Hi, Ace!) introduced me to a YouTube channel of a husband and wife who at the time, were living in Korea.  I was quickly sucked in by the channel, and watched a ton of videos (still haven't managed to make it through all of them!).  I was enthralled by the aspects of Korean culture they highlighted, such as K-pop, Korean beauty products and the Korean language. As a resul
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Super Simple Latte Hack

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Do you, like me, like..no, LOVE lattes? Is it the taste of creamy milk coupled with delicious coffee that drags you from your slumber each morning?  Or perhaps it is the elixir of life that propels you through the second half of your day? Do you, also like me, detest the fact that these delicious cups of magic can have SO. MANY. DANG. CALORIES?!?!?! If any of the above applies to you (and trust me, I see you sitting there, crying into your coffee mug, commiserating with me at the unfairness of it all), then have I got some great news for you. I have discovered a super simple, low calorie, high protein hack for lattes.  It's so easy, you're going to say "why didn't I think of this?!"  It will keep you feeling full way longer than a traditional latte (thanks to the high protein!), and it tastes amazing .  For this hack, you will need only three ingredients.  That's it.  Just three.
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New Year’s Eve and New Things

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“Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.  Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.  Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?  I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” - Isaiah 43:16-19 (King James Version). I received these verses in an email this morning and felt they were incredibly appropriate for New Year’s Eve, as we are on the cusp of 2020.  While 2019 was a year of new and amazing things for which I am overwhelmingly thankful, I am anticipating the Lord doing new and even greater things in my life in 2020.  Happy New Year, all!
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